Electronic programming guides (EPGs) are often programmed for set-top boxes (STBs), which typically have a low-speed CPU and extremely limited memory. Such EPGs are simple and limited in functionality. For example, most of these EPGs operate in the same basic fashion: scheduled program information is transmitted to a STB on a viewer's premises by an appropriate form of transmission (e.g., broadcast, direct satellite, cable, etc.). The set-top box CPU retains the transmission in memory so that the scheduled programming information may be subsequently viewed on a viewer's television set in response to user-generated signals. The information generally appears in a grid structure on the television screen with multiple columns corresponding to a designated time slot (e.g., 30 minutes) and multiple rows corresponding to a different television channel.
Any minimal design upgrade of the user interface or other EPG functions requires significant redesign of the EPG and reprogramming of the STB. As a result, broadcasters and content developers cannot easily upgrade the software in existing EPGs, and are often even required to replace the hardware, or at least upgrade the memory, CPU, etc. Moreover, because of the limited resolution quality of conventional television screens, the viewer can only see about 1.5 hours of programming at a time for only a few channels. In addition, current EPGs allow for only one font size. Unfortunately, viewers do not all have the same depth of vision. Therefore, some viewers may be unable to read the programming information on the television screen. Confounding this problem is the fact that existing EPGs do not have very advanced lighting capabilities, which detracts from the functionality of the EPG.
In essence, to date EPG's have been unsophisticated, limited in utility, and difficult to upgrade. This detracts from the enjoyment of television viewing and also limits the viewer's desire to make the upgrades necessary to improve the functionality of existing EPGs.